Austin City Limits returned for a second week and we were looking forward to seeing how this weekend will differ from the last! Most of the performers and activities are the same but this weekend only certain artists are performing such as St. Lucia, Santigold, Remi Wolf and Elyanna.
Fans were lined up early at the gates, taking their pictures outside with the “ACL” sign, and prepping for what the weekend would bring. The day started with many incredible acts but most notably Sir Chloe at the T-Mobile stage. Fans were eager to watch the band and once Sir Chloe came on stage, they did not disappoint. The energy and performance was a great way to get the day started.
Following Sir Chloe we took the time to go visit some of the activities and tents at the festival. One of the most notable vendors at ACL is Wrangler. Attendees were able to get their Wrangler denim customized and were even given custom pins for entering the pop-up, the pins are new every day and are given out until they run out. Next we visited ACL Eats – the amount of food vendors that were available was incredible, there was something for everyone to eat no matter what their diet was, it shows how much the festival thought of those who were in attendance.
Around 6pm, attendees had to make a difficult decision trying to figure out what artists to see: Foster the People, Santigold, and Leon Bridges all performed around the time frame and guests had to choose which incredible act to see. We bounced between Foster the People and Leon Bridges and neither of them disappointed. Bridges started his set with “Texas Sun” which perfectly set the mood for the performance as it was golden hour and the sun perfectly shined across the American Express stage and audience. Foster the People had all the attendees singing during their hit song “Pumped Up Kicks”, it was amazing seeing how much everyone loved this song.
Next up was The Marías. The band took over the T-Mobile stage and dare I say was it one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen at that stage. Fans at the barricade were discussing how they’ve waited almost all day to be that close and how excited they were for the show to start. The band played fan favorites such as “Run Your Mouth”, “Otro Atardecer” and “No One Noticed”, which was dedicated to their former manager who passed away. It was a set full of tears as well as joy, they are a band I will always recommend to see live if possible.
The night ended with two incredible headliners, Blink-182 at the Honda Stage and Chris Stapleton at the American Express stage. Blink played their discography to a diverse crowd full of people from all ages. One of the coolest moments in their set was when they performed “I Miss You” and everyone immediately gasped and joined in singing. Chris Stapleton also had an iconic moment for his set, he brought out Willie Nelson and the duo performed “Whiskey River” together – it was pretty legendary. Zilker Park soon lit up with fireworks from both stages – concluding the first day of the festival.
We can’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend will hold.
Atmosphere and Experience
Courtesy of C3 Presents
BLINK 182
THE MARIAS
LEON BRIDGES
CARIN LEON
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
DASHA
SIR CHLOE
Words by Michael Perea | Photos by Michael Perea and C3 Photographers